3.03.2007

Who killed the American Indian....?

I have taken major issue with the situtation of the NCAA and their holier than thou authoritative dictatorial way of running their World. The right to express yourself is only applicable to issues one agrees with the other side. Any free thought or thinking processes are Not allowed in the world of the NCAA.

How long will it take for all schools to lose scholorships or funding for not complying with these regulations. Oh wait, it already has begun.

My issue right now is with the Illinois Board for folding to the pressures. There are always two sides to the story, but only one side gets their word to matter.

Arguments for the Chief are strong. To early Illinois Indian tribes, the word “Illiniwek” meant “we are men,” or “the complete man.” Football Coach Bob Zuppke is believed to have been the first person to use the expression “Illiniwek” in describing the strength of the character of his teams: “The complete man, the strong, physical man, the intellectual man, and the spiritual man.” The name “Illiniwek” would later prove the perfect complement to the symbol chosen to represent the tradition of Illinois’ athletics.

Does the Chief Illiniwek tradition create a racist environment?

There is no evidence that this noble symbol has created a racist or hostile climate. Actually, there are several facts to the contrary:

In 1980, 8% of the undergraduate population of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were identified as minorities. Today, that number has risen to 26.1%. Within the Big Ten, the University of Illinois ranks consistently among the top three in terms of minority undergraduates.

Minority tenured and tenure-track faculty has increased by 100% since 1990. In that same time period, the number of minority academic professionals has increased by 75%.According to the 1990 U.S. Census, 0.2% of the population in the State of Illinois identified itself as "American Indian." That percentage is identical to the current number of Native American students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Following a 20-month investigation, the decision of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (11/30/95) concluded that there was insufficient evidence to show that a racially hostile environment existed at the University.

Because this action has created a precedent potentially threatens other institutions and other states, legislation been introduced into Congress to stop the intrusive actions of the NCAA. HR 5289, called the Protection of University Governance Act of 2006, would not include or preclude any policy or position, but it does enforce state rights to self-determination. When passed, the law will return the NCAA to its rightful role as a sports monitor and not social engineer.

Letter to NCAA from University of North Dakota President Charles Kupchella- from GrandForksHerald.com (June 10, 2006)

In his Ash Wednesday homily Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, the primate of All Ireland, asks:

Has the time not come for us to ditch, once and for all, the caricature of the drunken Irish and to consign it to the realm of history along with the slur of the Fighting Irish? [emphasis added]

Slur? Does that mean the term shouldn't be used?

American college football fans have already seen Redmen and Warriors morph into politically-correct birds and mammals. Now the Fighting Illini will be what, The Urbanaites? But if the day comes when you see the leprechaun in the South Bend unemployment line, you can kiss the Notre Dame endowment goodbye.

Maybe it's just my rant to the world, but we can't let this continue. First the NCAA gets to choose our seed for the upcoming tournament this weekend. What's next, each team going with a number based on longitude and latitude, or maybe just a number. We could be the fighting 125th's, or the 41° 40' 29" -- -86° 14' 55". Which I personally feel is too long.....Would that make everyone happy? Probably not. There has to be a group that is against numbers.